Zikalala asks church to pray for end to violence in ANC
ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sihle Zikalala has implored the Shembe Nazareth Church to pray for an end to violence in the party, which has seen several politicians killed in the province.
Zikalala was attending the church’s annual pilgrimage in Ozwathini yesterday, which President Cyril Ramaphosa was scheduled to attend but forced to cancel at the eleventh hour due to bad weather.
Zikalala’s visit to the church formed part of the ANC’s programme to drum-up support for its upcoming 107th anniversary celebrations at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday and its election campaign.
“We request that they pray for peace as we go for the ANC’s 107th anniversary. We are approaching elections and we request that they continue to support us in praying for peace and ensure that they support the democratisation of our country by participating in the elections,” Zikalala said.
The church is one of the biggest in Africa in terms of membership. Zikalala said the party was concerned that KZN continued to be notorious for political killings during elections. “We are asking for blessings for our province, which is known for violence, to have peace.”
He was accompanied by eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini. Zikalala, however, denied that the visit was only about campaigning for the upcoming elections.
“We know the church. It is present in all our communities and it is a good example in instilling values that help us raise our youth.
“We want to thank them for the role they have played in supporting the ANC and the role they are playing in society,” he said.
Addressing the 60th anniversary of late former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Peter Mokaba yesterday, Ramaphosa slammed the ANCYL for what he called its ineffectiveness in leading young people and bringing them closer to the ANC.
The event was organised by the league and held in Cato Crest in Durban and attended by senior ANC leaders.
Ramaphosa hailed Mokaba as a principled but fearless leader of the party’s youth wing, adding that ANCYL had lost the confidence of young people and was no longer able to draw them to the ANC as it was preoccupied with ANC factional battles.
Ramaphosa said the ANCYL had to work on making sure that it was a home for all young people if it wanted to regain its influence.
“The second task that you have is promoting unity. We want to see the youth league being concerned about the state of disunity, and where there is factionalism the youth league must be the one that moves in to make sure we get rid of factionalism,” he said.